Hardy, 51, lived in Los Angeles for about 12 years, appearing on BET’s “Comic View,” ABC’s “According to Jim” and other TV shows. He moved to Port St. Lucie about four years ago, when he began working at the Improvs in West Palm Beach, Miami and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

“My wife says, ‘I’m moving, and the kids are moving, and you can either come with us or stay here,’ ” he recalls. “Next thing I knew, I was I was driving a truck across the country.”

But the relocation has worked out, because Hardy, his wife, a flight attendant, and their two children live about 10 minutes from Hardy’s mother. And Hardy says he’s all about family.

He says being a regular guy helps him find material and has kept his career going, with film credits in the low-budget 2008 action flick “China Dolls” and Bernie Mac’s 2005 film “Guess Who.” Hardy also appears in commercials, including ones for Blimpie, Sears, the Sylvan Learning Center and Capital One Credit Cards.

His routines include a bit on how much easier airport security would be if everyone just went through naked — “it’d be ugly, but it’d be safer” — and how married men call their unmarried friends for stories and “stuff you can’t do anymore.”

“I think I’m a likable guy, a regular dude,” Hardy says.. “I like hanging out with the guys and I’m a dad. There’s a lot of shared experience.”